Cellulose materials are widely used in food packaging. Paper-based packaging, intended to be in contact with food, require specific properties to ensure food safety. In order to obtain greaseproof paper, packaging industry commonly uses mechanical treatments, surface coatings, or otherwise paper can be coupled with aluminum and polymeric films. In many cases these processes compromise food packaging recyclability. The renewed interest in the development of sustainable packaging solutions, together with the increasing environmental standards and laws, speed up the research of CIPACK - Interdepartmental Centre for Packaging to the exploration of innovative natural-based coatings as barrier to oil and grease. Experimental tests, conducted in the laboratories of the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” - Politecnico di Milano, confirmed the good repellent properties of the natural-based coatings. After laboratory analysis, possible applications for the developed treatments were investigated: compostable food containers represent a sustainable alternative to common packaging used for frozen food, ready-to-eat meals or fast food.
Designing Sustainable Scenarios. Natural-based Coatings as a Barrier to Oil and Grease in Food Paper Packaging
PISELLI, AGNESE;LORENZI, ANDREA;GARBAGNOLI, PAOLA;DEL CURTO, BARBARA
2016-01-01
Abstract
Cellulose materials are widely used in food packaging. Paper-based packaging, intended to be in contact with food, require specific properties to ensure food safety. In order to obtain greaseproof paper, packaging industry commonly uses mechanical treatments, surface coatings, or otherwise paper can be coupled with aluminum and polymeric films. In many cases these processes compromise food packaging recyclability. The renewed interest in the development of sustainable packaging solutions, together with the increasing environmental standards and laws, speed up the research of CIPACK - Interdepartmental Centre for Packaging to the exploration of innovative natural-based coatings as barrier to oil and grease. Experimental tests, conducted in the laboratories of the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” - Politecnico di Milano, confirmed the good repellent properties of the natural-based coatings. After laboratory analysis, possible applications for the developed treatments were investigated: compostable food containers represent a sustainable alternative to common packaging used for frozen food, ready-to-eat meals or fast food.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
